Our goal since we began this project is to provide a year-long resource that area golfers can use to give them all the information they'll need to find a place that's right for them to enjoy this great game.

And if you haven't enjoyed a round or two so far this year, you've missed the boat. Mother Nature has blessed us with the mildest of winters and a warm spring, so those sticks should have come out of hibernation a lot sooner than usual. Or in some cases (guilty), never gone into hibernation.

Based on comments and e-mails we received about previous Golf Guides, you readers were satisfied with our effort. We have made use of several of your suggestions, including listing the age at which senior rates take effect.

We have also added exact addresses for each course, for those of you using GPS systems to plan your trip.

We hope you'll find the guide useful and we always welcome any suggestions to make it better.

Having been a resident of Franklin County for most of my life, having been a golfer for just about all of that time and having played most of the courses in the region, I can tell you one thing for certain - we are truly blessed.

If I could pick out one word to describe golf in our area, it would be: Value.

Of the 12 courses in our immediate area, I'd consider half of them to be lowpriced. Cynics might call them "cheap,'' but why be negative?

On these courses, you can play a lot of golf for not much money. It's a perfect situation for beginners, for young golfers and for the older set. You won't have anybody unload your bags from the car and the USGA won't be scheduling any championship tournaments on these courses, but the idea is to play golf and have fun and that's quite likely to happen. We also have several midrange courses in terms of cost. You'll find better course designs and more amenities for your dollar and you'll get it at a price that's still less than you'd have to pay for a similar course outside the area.

At the high end is Penn National, which includes both the Founders and Iron Forge courses. Penn National has the highest fees in the area, but both courses are ranked among the top 100 courses in the entire mid-Atlantic area. You can find good value in PN's twilight rates and if you sign up on PN's web site to receive e-mails, you'll get more good deals.

Our area also includes several nine-hole courses. In this age of trying to find time to do more and more, a twohour round is becoming more of a good option.

The fact is that because of where we live, we can play golf at a variety of levels of courses and get excellent value everywhere.

Living where we do allows us to play and not take a big hit in the wallet.

Another benefit to living in the Cumberland Valley is that we are surrounded by plenty of great courses. Within an hour's drive are about 50 golf courses that offer a variety of styles and price ranges.

In this guide you'll find each of the 11 local courses highlighted (we deleted Majestic Ridge because of its current in-limbo status), with all the information you'll need to decide which course to play and book a tee time, plus other details, such as the history of the course.

A second tier of courses is also featured - 12 courses within about a 45-minute drive of Chambersburg.

We've also provided information about a third layer of courses within about an hour's drive that can expand your list of possible destinations.

Franklin County has two private country clubs - Chambersburg C.C. and Waynesboro C.C. - and we've also included information on both of them.

I invite you to look over our Golf Guide. If we have failed to include certain information that might be helpful to you, or if you have any suggestions, please contact me.

In the meantime, get out there and play.

---------- Ed Gotwals may be reached at 262-4755 and egotwals@publicopinionnews. com, or on Twitter @EdGotwalsPO.